Russia’s Caspian Sea Fleet fires Cruise missiles from 1000-Km away to attack targets in Syria

The naval strikes by Russia on Syrian targets were the first known operational use of state-of-the-art SSN-30A Kalibr cruise missiles – these are still being tested by the Russian navy. It was used by the Caspian Sea fleet when it launched a complex cruise missile strike against Syrian rebels from over 1000-Km away.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 8 October 2015.

It appeared to be an exhibition of Moscow's firepower as it backs a government offensive in Syria's multi-faction civil war and was the first naval salvo of Russia's week-old military intervention in Syria.
The attack also revealed Russia's advanced military capabilities and its close coordination with the governments of Iran and Iraq because the missile had to go over these airspaces to strike targets in Syria that were held by the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, an affiliate of al-Qaeda.
Russia has already launched more than 100 airstrikes against the Islamic State and factions of Islamist and US-backed rebel forces opposed to President Bashar al-Assad.
Involvement of Russia in Syria is a problem for the West, which has launched more than 7,000 airstrikes against the Islamic State in the past year. The West has not taken kindly to Moscow's military buildup in Syria. It seems Russia has not only deployed surface-to-air missiles, fighter jets but also radar jamming equipment to the region which, in the opinion of officials, is meant to interfere with Western forces.
(Image courtesy wikmediacommons.org)

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Planned airstrike by the US has eliminated a top leader of Khorasan Group

#Pentagon #BasharalAssad #KhorasanGroup #Syria The Pentagon has revealed that a planned airstrike by the United States has eliminated a senior al-Qaeda militant in north-western Syria. The person was Muhsin al-Fadhli and he was targeted two weeks ago while he was travelling in a vehicle near Sarmada.
He was killed on 8 July near Sarmada, only 7-Km from Syria's border with Turkey.
This has been reported in bbc.com dated 22 July 2015.

Fadhli has been described as the leader of a network of veteran al-Qaeda operatives. They are also known as ‘Khorasan Group’ and had allegedly planning to carry out external attacks against the US and its allies. Fadhli is believed to have been close to Osama Bin Laden and one of the few al-Qaeda members who had received advanced warning of the 11 September 2001 attacks.
It seems before the US began air strikes on Islamic State (IS) across Syria in September, they had targeted areas near the northern city of Aleppo – the targets were not IS positions, but buildings that were supposed to be used by the Khorasan Group. This group consisted of about 50 veteran militants from Afghanistan and Pakistan, North Africa and Chechnya.
These militants had been sent to Syria by al-Qaeda's leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Their mission was not to wage a war against the government of President Bashar al-Assad but embraced a whole of other activities like developing external attacks, constructing and testing improvised explosive devices and recruiting Westerners to carry out operations.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Al-Qaeda in Yemen kills two hostages who were to be released

The two hostages American photojournalist Luke Somers and South African teacher Pierre Korkie were supposed to be released by the al-Qaeda in Yemen but, they have been killed during a rescue attempt by US and Yemeni forces.
It is understood that a total of 40 US special operations forces were involved in the rescue attempt and they were backed by Yemeni forces. They got to within 100 metres of the compound when they were spotted leading to a firefight ensued. During this encounter the pair was shot.
Reports indicate that the duo had been murdered by their al Qaeda captors - 10 of whom were also killed.
The raid was carried out in the Shabwah region of Yemen. It seems the release of 56-year-old Mr Korkie had been scheduled for Sunday but President Barack Obama authorized the raid because there was information to the effect that the life of American photojournalist Luke Somers was in imminent danger.
The national security chief of Yemen, Ali al Ahmadi, had revealed that the militants had planned to "execute" Mr Somers - who was born in Britain - on Saturday. Hence the raid.
It may be recalled that Mr and Mrs Korkie had been taken hostage by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in May 2013 - Mrs Korkie was released earlier this year. On the other hand, Mr Somers, who was born in Britain, was captured in September 2013 in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a.

More than 120 dead, 370 injured in bomb attack in mosque in Nigeria

It was another dreaded Friday for worshippers of Kano, the second largest city of Nigeria when suicide bombers and gunmen attacked the main mosque and left 120 dead with another 370 injured. The gunmen opened attack after the suicide bombers struck and the incident bears the hallmark of the Boko Haram militants.
Reports indicate that hundreds of worshippers had been gathering to listen to a sermon from the city's chief imam and prayers had got under way at around 2pm, local time.
As per a witness, two bombs exploded, one after the other, in the premises of the Grand Mosque seconds after the prayers began.
The mosque's leader is the Emir of Kano, the second highest Islamic authority in the country and he had recently urged that people in the north of Nigeria should take up arms against Boko Haram. However, it is not known as to whether he was present at the time the attack took place. The Islamist organization Boko Haram has been fighting a guerilla war to bring about a hardline Islamic state since 2009 and is responsible for the kidnap of more than 200 teenage girls from a school in the northern town of Chibok in April this year. The girls are still in captivity.
Due to such attacks, over 1.5 million Nigerians who have been displaced by Boko Haram have been flocking to refugee camps across the country's northeast to add to the woes of the administration because the facilities are overcrowded and there is also a shortage of supplies.
Right now, the world is in the grip of terrorism carried out by three major outfits al-Qaeda, Boko Haram and the ISIS – each of them has a different agenda. While al-Qaeda wages war against the US, the Boko Haram wants Nigerians to prevent western cultures from taking over and the ISIS wants a totally Islamic State where only Muslims can stay.
Of course, the attack of anything that is western culture is not new to Nigeria – it has been in India also where outfits like the Ram Sena in Bangalore and the Shiv Sena in Mumbai rears its head once in a while.